1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to network message delivery to network nodes.
2. Description of Related Art
Computer networks enable widely separated users and computers to exchange messages. Since computers exchanging messages rarely share a direct connection, messages (“datagrams”) often wend their way through a number of network routers that incrementally advance a message towards its destination. Just as a street address on an envelope identifies a particular home to a mail carrier, a network address identifies a particular node (e.g., a computer) on a network. By examining a destination network address of a message, network routers can forward the message along a path from the message's source to the message's destination.
FIG. 1 shows an example of message delivery over a network. As shown in FIG. 1, a source computer 102 sends a message 106 to a destination computer 110 via a network 108 of routers (circles a-i). As shown, the message 106 includes the network address (“10.1.98.49”) of the destination node 110. The destination address shown is an IP (Internet Protocol) address. An IP address is an example of a network layer address. As shown, the IP address can be expressed in a notation that uses a string of numbers separated by periods, with each number identifying eight bits of the IP address.
Routers typically maintain routing tables that store information on how to forward messages destined for particular IP addresses. For example, a routing table maintained by router “a” may include an entry that specifies that messages destined to IP address “10.1.98.49” should be forwarded to router “e”.
Because of the vast number of devices that may reside on a network, a routing table having an individual entry for each individual IP address could grow so large that looking up an IP address in a routing table could significantly slow down the routers. Thus, in addition to particular IP addresses, routers can store entries that specify a range of IP addresses.
A range of addresses can be specified using a notation similar to that used to specify a single IP address. To specify a range of addresses, a mask length follows a particular address. The mask length identifies the starting bits or “network prefix” shared by addresses in the range of addresses. For example, a range of IP addresses may be expressed as “10.1.98.0/24”, where the number after the “/” specifies a mask length of 24-bits (i.e., the “10.1.98” of the “10.1.98.49” address). Thus, “10.1.98.0/24” specifies a range of IP addresses that extends from “10.1.98.0” to “10.1.98.255”. That is, “10.1.98.0” to “10.1.98.255” both have the same network prefix of “10.1.98.”.
As shown in FIG. 1, the destination computer 110 of message 106 resides on a sub-network 104b of devices having IP addresses in the range specified by “10.1.98.48/29”. Thus, different network routers may store a routing table entry for the range “10.1.98.48/29”. Messages bound for the sub-network 104b eventually reach a gateway 109 that may store individual routing entries for IP addresses on the sub-network 104b. The gateway 109 is somewhat analogous to a local post office that collects mail for homes in a particular zip code before dispatching the mail to particular homes.
The message delivery scheme described above rests on an assumption that once assigned an IP address, a node does not move to a different sub-network. With the advent of mobile devices (e.g., laptop computers, wireless phones, and wireless PDAs (Personal Digital Assistants)), devices having IP addresses are increasingly likely to change their point of attachment while in use. FIGS. 2 and 3 illustrate a potential problem caused by this mobility.
FIG. 2 shows a wireless mobile node 110a attached to a sub-network 104b. As shown, the IP address of the mobile node 110a (“10.1.98.49”) is within the range of IP addresses (“10.1.98.48/29”) serviced by the sub-network 104b. As such, the sub-network 104b is referred to as the mobile node's 110a “home network” or “topologically correct sub-network”. When the mobile node 110a remains at its home network 104b, the network 108 deliver messages 106 to the mobile node 110a as described in conjunction with FIG. 1.
In FIG. 3, however, the mobile node 110a has changed its point of attachment. For example, a user may have unplugged a laptop from a home network LAN (Local Area Network) 104b, brought their laptop on a flight across the country, and established a connection with a foreign sub-network 104c (i.e., a sub-network other than the home sub-network 104b). After this movement, however, the IP address of mobile node 110a is not within the range of IP addresses (“10.1.98.24/29”) handled by the foreign sub-network 104c. As shown in FIG. 3, while network routers continue to forward messages 106 destined for the mobile node 110a to the node's 110a home network 104b, the mobile node 110a is no longer on the home network 104b. In these circumstances, the home network 104b will typically drop messages 106 addressed to the mobile node 110a. 
Several solutions to problems posed by mobile network nodes have been developed. For example, FIG. 4 illustrates a registration process used in mobile IP systems. In the registration process, a mobile node 110a notifies a foreign agent 112 of the node's 110a presence on the foreign network 104c. The foreign agent 112, in turn, notifies a home agent 114 on the mobile node's 110a behalf. Registration fails if communication with the home agent 114 fails.
If registration succeeds, upon receipt of a message 106 addressed to the mobile node 110a, the home agent 114 tunnels the message 106 to the foreign agent 112. Tunneling is much like taking an entire envelope and stuffing it into yet another envelope addressed to a different street address. The foreign agent 112, in turn, de-tunnels and forwards the messages to the mobile node 110a. 